Abu Dhabi: Happy, optimistic, and welcoming: these are the used by two Emirati students used to describe Syrian refugees living in the Emirati-Jordan Camp inside Jordan. The Emiratis were there to film a short documentary. Khawla Abdul Karim, and Lateefa Al Rowahi, both studying at Zayed University, decided to make the documentary as part of their senior year project after receiving a visit from an Abu Dhabi-based UN representative, who encouraged students to visit and raise more awareness on Syrian refugees living in Jordan.

With the all the pictures and videos of desperate Syrian refugees making their way to Europe over the past several weeks, the documentary aims to showcase a different and more positive perspective on what life is like for some Syrian refugees.

“I was surprised, to be honest, when we visited the camp. I had expected to see people who were sad and living in terrible conditions, but instead I saw the opposite. The refugees I saw were living in air-conditioned caravan trailers rather than outdoor tents, and the people were cheerful and optimistic about the future,” Abdul Karim said.

“The camp had hospitals, schools, playgrounds, and even a supermarket for the refugees living inside the camp. So it was a definite eye-opener for me,” she added.

Al Rowahi echoed similar observations and told Gulf News how the experience defied what they had expected to witness, “Everyone has a stereotypical image of what a refugee camp looks like and what life is like for the refugees. We imagine there is no electricity, no edible food, and that in general the people inside the camps are just lonely and depressed all the time. When we visited the camp, however, we saw electricity, we saw happy children playing , and that was the odd thing for us as we had expected the opposite,” she said.

“If a person was not aware of the fact that this was a refugee camp they would think that this was just a town like any other, with people living normally and getting on with their lives,” Al Rowahi added.

Abdul Karimalso highlighted the good natured attitude of the refugees while they were filming. “When we were doing our documentary, it was not that hot outside, but the people in the camp would still invite us to come inside their caravan to rest and have some water.”

Despite the good living conditions inside the camp, both students are adamant that everything must be done to help Syrian refugees, “It’s important to have a film like this to remind people that there are other human beings who have gone through hardships. We hope people will watch this documentary and become active afterwards, getting involved in volunteer work which includes visiting the refugee camps,” Abdul Karim said.

The experience had an impact on the filmmakers themselves. Al Rowahi explained that she now feels more thankful for everything she has. “In a moment, everything could be taken away and lost forever. Some of the refugees we interviewed told us they had lost their family members and their homes. So what I take away from this is to live every single moment,” she said.

“These Syrians were forced to leave their country because of war, whereas we are living in our country in peace surrounded by the people we love,” Abdul Karim concurred.

Emirati-Jordan Camp

The Emirati Jordan Camp located in Mereijeeb Al Fuhood, roughly 20 km north of Amman, is fully funded by the UAE and was opened in 2013. The camp currently hosts around 5,000 Syrian refugees and has been praised by international aid workers and organisations for its living conditions.

Families in the camp are housed in portacabins, each with a bathroom, plumbing, and air-conditioning. Meals and food items are delivered three times a day for each family.